Brother TN-2130 Genuine Black (1.5K) Toner Cartridge [TN2130]

Brother TN-2130 Review

Compatible with other Brother models; Durable and easy to use; Best productivity and support with printers of the same brand

The bad:

A bit costly compared to other models; Laser toners have some unavoidable limitations

The Brother TN-2130 mono laser toner cartridge has an approximate yield of up to 1500 pages in accordance with ISO/IEC19752. It is compatible with Brother DCP-7040, HL-2140, HL-2142, HL-2150N, HL-2170W, MFC-7340 and MFC-7440N printers.

A laser toner or a toner cartridge is the consumable component of a laser printer. Toner cartridges contain toner powder which is a dry, fine mix of plastic particles, carbon and black coloring agent that produce the printing effect on paper. The toner is transferred to paper using an electrostatically charged drum unit. It is fused onto the paper by heated rollers while printing. Low end to mid-range laser printers usually contain two consumable parts: the toner cartridge (having a life of 2000 pages) and the drum unit (life of 40,000 pages). Some toner cartridges also include the drum unit, so both have to be replaced at the same time. This is usually not cost effective.

The Brother TN-2130 toner cartridge can be expensive and amount to be costlier than cheap laser printers. Hence some people dispose of their printer when the toner runs out and buy a new machine. But some new printers come with toner cartridges that are only 1/3 full. The other option is to go in for generic brand laser toners produced by companies other than the printer manufacturer. These toners can be bought at a fraction of the price of original brand replacement. A third option is toner refill kit. The consumer can simply refill the toner cartridges.

Toner cartridges are of three types: First type is Genuine or Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). This is like the Brother TN-2130 toner cartridge which is manufactured by the printer manufacturer (Brother brand). Manufacturer offers certain guarantees if you use original toner cartridges. Besides, such cartridges are the only way to ensure that the printer works like it’s intended to by the brand. Genuine cartridges are more expensive than re-fills, compatibles or re-manufactured cartridges. But you can cut down on cost by purchasing them from specialist retailers – and, more importantly, they provide much better productivity and have a longer lifespan than their alternative counterparts.

The second types are compatible cartridges which are manufactured from scratch. They are different from re-filled or re-manufactures cartridges. They are manufactured by third party companies and sell under different brand names. Such cartridges may vary in look and design to avoid patent issues. Such generic cartridges are not as efficient as genuine counterparts but are supposedly more cost-effective. They can also be designed to carry more ink but this depends on the cost and design of the cartridge. The third type is remanufactured. This is a type in which the original or compatible cartridge is dismantled after the first use. This entails replacement of any old or worn out parts, cleaning of the toner and refilling with ink.

All types of toners are available from a variety of sources. OEM and compatible cartridges can be bought off-the-shelf, but companies that offer re-manufactured cartridges require the customer to turn in the empty original cartridges which is then re-manufactured and returned to the customer. None of the refilling companies produce the empty shell of the cartridge. All of them repack and refill the original cartridge.